One of the best ways to spend a weekend is by taking a day trip! Today, we’re sharing a few of the best day trips from Altus.
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As our time in Oklahoma is coming to an end, it seemed appropriate to share some of the best day trips from Altus!
Living in such a small town has meant that day trips are our lifeline. From running errands to hiking to great restaurants, nearly everything means a bit of a drive. So we make day trips out of it! Here are a few of our favorite spots:
Day Trips from Altus
Lawton
Lawton is the most obvious day trip – at only an hour away, it’s an easy way to mix it up without spending a ton of time in the car. While we often find ourselves heading to Lawton to run errands (hello, Target and pet stores and restaurants), it’s also a great way to squeeze in a date. Go see an IMAX and grab something for dinner you can’t usually find in town. If you’re military, there are a few hidden gems on base at Ft. Sill – you can rent kayaks at the lake or see Geronimo’s grave.
Oklahoma City
This also makes for a great weekend away, but it’s close enough to have a great day trip too. Our typical Oklahoma City day trip includes a great lunch, spending a few hours at an attraction like the Cowboy Museum or OKC Museum of Art, running a few errands we can’t do locally, and finishing off with good dinner before heading back home.
Medicine Park
Medicine Park may be my favorite day trip we’ve found in our years in Altus. It’s an adorable sleepy tourist town nestled into the edges of the Wichita Mountains, the sort of places that harkens back to Route 66-style road trips of the ’50s. The homes are picturesque and the main street is dotted with cute stores and restaurants, but it’s small enough to explore on foot all day without wearing yourself out. If it’s warm, bring your swimsuit! The river has a swimming hole right off the path, making it the perfect spot to cool off!
Anadarko
At only 90 minutes away, is a great little day trip. The main draw is that Anadarko is a great location to learn about Native Americans in Oklahoma. Both the Southern Plains Indian Museum and National Hall of Fame for Famous American Indians are in Anadarko. There’s also a winery, so leisurely explore the local offerings before heading home!
Roman Nose State Park
If you want a change of scenery from the closer outdoor options, drive two hours north to Roman Nose State Park. Named after the famous Native American, it has several great trails that cover a more hilly, forested terrain that we see in the southwest corner of the state. Make sure you call ahead though – they tend to close trails if there’s been heavy rain.
This is a great location if you want to extend your day trip into a weekend – they’ve got a bunch of camping options (including teepees) as well as a lodge inside the park.
Route 66
Route 66 cuts through Oklahoma, so if that’s your thing, there are a bunch of ways to experience it! Weatherford hosts the famous roadside diner Lucille’s, a rite of passage stop on the Mother Road. It also hosts Peabarr Farms, which opens to the public every fall with a corn maze and pumpkins.
Elk City is another city worth checking out on the road and has a National Route 66 Museum. Just next door is the Old Town Museum, housed in a historic Victorian home. Both, along with the recreation of several shopfronts in the square, are cool little pieces of a forgotten era. It makes a great cheap day trip for adults and families.
These are just a few of the options for day trips out of Altus. What kinds of activities do you look for in a day trip?
Want more Oklahoma travel tips? Check out our Oklahoma page!
